As we continue in our Just Do the Word series, we come to a passage in James 4:7-8 that gives us three clear instructions. Three instructions that are separate yet deeply connected:
Submit.
Resist.
Draw near.
James writes:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
(Stay tuned for next week’s blog as we dive into this phrase.)
These are not complicated instructions. But they are powerful ones and often overlooked. When we live them out, they change how we walk with God and how we live our lives in very real ways. Let’s look at each instruction.
Submit to God: What True Surrender Means
Submission is not a word we naturally gravitate toward. In fact, if we’re honest, it’s one we may even want to pull away from.
Yet God calls us to submit to Him. Not because He is an overcontrolling Father, but because He is a loving Father who truly wants the very best for us.
Submission is about surrender.
It’s choosing to yield to Him… letting go of control, our own way, and even what we feel entitled to. It’s choosing God’s way over our own.
It’s not about serving a God who is overbearing or trying to make our lives difficult. It’s about trusting that He knows what is best and responding with a heart of obedience.
It’s less of me… and more of Him.
Sometimes we say we want God’s direction, but what we really want is His confirmation of what we have already decided. Direction without surrender will always lead us back to ourselves.
But Jesus calls us to something deeper. He calls us to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
Submission asks a different question:
“Lord, what do You want… even if it’s not what I had planned?”
Submission is not weakness.
It is trust.
Resist the Enemy: Standing Firm in Truth
James doesn’t tell us to ignore the enemy. He doesn’t even tell us to fight harder or strive more.
He tells us to resist.
That word resist means to take a firm stand against… to hold your ground… to refuse to move.
It’s not passive. It’s intentional.
It means we don’t agree with the lies.
We don’t entertain thoughts that pull us away from truth.
We don’t give space to what we know is not from God. What we tolerate, we give permission to remain.
We don’t compromise.
We are not lukewarm. We choose to stand fully on God’s side, committed to what honors and pleases Him.
And there is a promise attached:
“He will flee from you.”
Not because of our strength… but because of our position.
When we submit to God, we are standing under His authority.
And when we begin to understand who we are in Him, we recognize that we don’t have to fight for victory.
We are standing from it.
Draw Near to God: The Path to Intimacy
Then James gives us this invitation:
“Come near to God and He will come near to you.”
James 4:8
There is no hesitation in that promise.
No distance.
No delay.
Just a response.
As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of something the Lord spoke to my heart a while back.
Sometimes we try to get close to someone.
We make the effort. We reach out. We try to build a relationship.
And instead of drawing closer, they pull away.
If you’ve ever experienced that, you know how disappointing that can feel.
But God is not like that.
He says if we will choose to draw near to Him… He will draw near to us.
He does not pull away.
He does not create distance.
He meets us every time.
And that means something important for us.
Drawing near to God is a choice.
No one drifts into intimacy with God. We choose it.
It doesn’t happen accidentally. It happens intentionally.
It happens when we open His Word.
When we pause to pray.
When we turn our attention toward Him throughout our day.
Jesus said it this way:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We were never meant to live disconnected from Him.
We were created to stay close… to remain… to abide.
Because everything we need flows from that connection.
Paul expresses this so beautifully:
“For my determined purpose is that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him…]” Philippians 3:10 (AMPC)
That is not passive language.
That is intentional.
That is pursuit.
Knowing God is not just about information.
It is about relationship.
It is about choosing, daily, to draw close.
And the more we draw near to Him, the more familiar His voice becomes.
We begin to recognize His leading.
We begin to sense His prompting.
We begin to walk with Him, not just for Him.
Because direction flows from relationship.
This Week’s Challenge:
Read:
James 4:7–8
Reflect and Journal:
Where am I holding onto control instead of submitting to God?
Practice:
Choose one intentional way to draw near to God this week. Spend time in His Word, pause to pray, or simply sit quietly and turn your attention toward Him. Journal what He speaks to you.
Prayer:
“Lord, help me to trust You, resist what pulls me away, and draw near to You this week.”
This week, don’t just read the Word.
Let’s do the Word.
Previous posts in the series:
-
Just Do the Word: Is Your Faith Genuine
https://makinghimknown.tv/genuine-faith-james-1/ -
Just Do the Word: Being Doers, Not Just Hearers
https://makinghimknown.tv/james-1-22-meaning-be-doers-of-the-word/ -
Just Do the Word: Be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak
https://makinghimknown.tv/james-1-19-20-quick-to-listen-slow-to-speak/ -
Just Do the Word: Asking for Wisdom and Trusting God
https://makinghimknown.tv/just-do-the-word-week-2-ask-god-for-wisdom/ -
Just Do the Word: Ask God for Wisdom
https://makinghimknown.tv/just-do-the-word-asking-for-wisdom/ - Just Do the Word: Showing Mercy Without Favoritism https://makinghimknown.tv/showing-mercy-without-favoritism-james-2/